Man shot, killed steps away from traveling basketball tournament in Chalmette

ST. BERNARD PARISH (WVUE) - Gunfire took a mans life in Chalmette, steps away from an ongoing travel basketball tournament at Val Reiss Park. Some visiting players said with the way things are now; they werent shocked to hear such news after wrapping up their game.

ST. BERNARD PARISH (WVUE) - Gunfire took a man’s life in Chalmette, steps away from an ongoing travel basketball tournament at Val Reiss Park.

Some visiting players said with the way things are now; they weren’t shocked to hear such news after wrapping up their game.

“Happens all the time for me, all in the movies,” said player Sean Henry.

Henry and his fellow players from Florida were visiting the complex for the first time.

They were just coming out of their game when deputies ushered them away from the back of the gym, where one male was found shot to death.

St. Bernard Parish Sheriff James Pohlmann said there’s no indication that the shooting was related to the tournament going on inside.

“Matter of fact, the only persons who heard the shots seemed to be people standing outside the complex,” said Pohlmann. “It doesn’t even appear that the people inside even realized that anything was going on at the time.”

The driver of the Florida team’s chartered bus was outside when the shots were fired.

She said she noticed a car drive toward the back of the gym.

“I was in the bus for a few minutes. A car went pretty fast around me. I heard, ‘Pop! Pop!’ and that was it,” said the driver. “I thought it was a car backfiring. I’m from Orlando so I’m used to hearing all that.”

Deputies say a stray bullet struck and flattened the bus’s back tire. The driver went to get it repaired while the boys waited outside and watched the investigation.

“We also have deputies and detectives interviewing potential witnesses up at our criminal investigations bureau,” said Pohlmann.

One parent told Fox 8 she feared this would happen when visiting the New Orleans area.

She says she warned her son to take a friend everywhere he went.

And for the team planning to be back on the same court for another game Sunday, a much different outcome is hoped for.

“Hopefully it doesn’t happen again, and our bus doesn’t leave us again,” said player Durell Cuffie. “I don’t blame her. She was probably terrified hearing bullets and one hitting the bus.”

The bus driver was able to replace the damaged tire about two hours after the shooting.

So far, that was the only damage reported by deputies.

The Sheriff’s Office says detectives are still following leads in their investigation, and no information on potential suspects or a motive are yet available.

See a spelling or grammar error in our story? Click Here to report it. Please include the headline.

Subscribe to the Fox 8 YouTube channel.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7p7vXcaOirpVjsLC5jmtna2tfZYRwfZVopJqmXai1sMCMpKClpJWZerTAxKmqZpmnlsZuwNGarZ6kmaO0bq7ArKKerJKWua1506isq6aRorKvwIycn5qknZrBtbGO

 Share!